Planned Parenthood funds at risk in Arizona

Bill that bars public money from going to Planned Parenthood OK'd by Senate

by Mary Jo Pitzl - Apr. 24, 2012 09:12 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona is on the verge of joining eight other states that have banned the use of public dollars for Planned Parenthood.

The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would bar the state or any local government from using public money to support an organization that includes abortions among its services.

Although House Bill 2800 does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, it's clear the organization is the target.

In a news release issued after the 18-8 party-line vote in the Senate, the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, cheered the decision.

"Planned Parenthood's abortion-centered business model does not need or deserve taxpayer dollars," Marilyn Musgrave, the group's government-affairs vice president, said in a statement.

Planned Parenthood Arizona issued its own statement, lamenting the bill's passage and saying the action could reduce women's access to health care. The agency provides an array of women's health services, from breast-cancer screening to family planning, and has estimated that fewer than one in 10 women it sees is seeking an abortion.

The bill passed with Republican support; Democrats in the Senate voted "no."

The bill follows on the heels of Gov. Jan Brewer's approval last week of a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks. A bill that would let religiously oriented employers opt out of providing contraceptive coverage awaits a final legislative vote.

HB 2800, sponsored by Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, would have no effect on dollars that pass through the state Department of Health Services. That's because the state does not provide money for family planning, agency spokesman Laura Oxley said.

Arizona receives $900,000 in federal money for family-planning and reproductive-health services and passes it on to county health departments and the Maricopa Integrated Health System. Those agencies do not provide abortions.

Last month, the Obama administration cut off federal Medicaid support for a Texas women's health program after a Texas law, similar to the one Arizona is advancing, barred Planned Parenthood from the program. The U.S. government said Texas can't discriminate against qualified providers.

But a spokeswoman for Arizona's Medicaid program said it is doubtful the bill would affect its services because the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System sends public dollars to private providers who can choose which partners to work with.

However, AHCCCS is still analyzing the potential effects, spokeswoman Monica Coury said in an e-mail.

The Senate passed the bill Tuesday without any debate, much less any comment. Supporters have suggested that if Planned Parenthood wanted to receive public dollars, it could spin off its abortion services into a separate business.

HB 2800 now awaits transmittal to Brewer's office. But Senate President Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, said he is heeding Brewer's warning from last week to not send her any bills until a budget deal is reached.

Brewer typically does not comment on legislation until it reaches her desk.